BPA causes metabolic changes at low, but not at high dose

New study investigates effects of prenatal BPA exposure on metabolism in vivo

July 29, 2013 Charlotte Wagner

A new study published July 25, 2013 in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Reproductive Toxicology concludes that bisphenol A (BPA) causes metabolic changes in mice at low but not at high doses (Angle et al. 2013). The researchers from the University of Missouri, U.S., investigated the effects of prenatal BPA exposure on metabolic changes linked to obesity and diabetes. Brittany Angle and colleagues prenatally exposed mice to BPA at doses ranging from 10-fold below the current reference dose in the U.S. to 10-fold above the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They found low doses to cause weight gain, increased abdominal fat and eating, impaired glucose tolerance and increased glucose and appetite regulating hormones. The same effects could not be observed at dose levels above the NOAEL. In an article published on July 25, 2013 by the non-profit news publisher Environmental Health News, Frederik vom Saal, co-author of the study on BPA and professor at the University of Missouri states that it is scary that the researchers “found effects at levels that the government not only says is safe, but that they don’t bother to test”. In June 2013, the EPA published a draft report concluding that current toxicity testing was adequate to identify chemical hazards relevant for public health, irrespective of non-monotonic dose-responses and low dose effects (previously reported on by the FPF).

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